This indeed is a momentous occasion. However, we must now be willing to remember what the wealth of western science has taught us about the world in which we live.
Rather than turning the Buddha's teaching into clung to dogma, let go and realize that he was a man. Let us forget about other states of reality and "New Age" babble and concentrate on what is important. Awareness of the Four Noble Truths and living the Eight Fold Path.
Let us not think of it as mystical mumbo jumbo, but rather as a way of life that removes suffering and leads to better human relations.
This theme of the removal of suffering remains constant among all sects of Buddhism and most of the differences among groups are cultural baggage, including the mythology concurrent with the times of Siddharta.
We can learn from these myths, but we ought to put them in their proper context. Basically if you look hard enough, the very eclectic nature of the Dharma shows that many people can find enlightenment in many ways. This therefore conveys that we can be open to the incorporation of some other body of knowledge into Buddhist practice.
The Dharma didn't come from some ethereal plane of existance, rather it came from a man with deep insight into human emotions and nature. Don't turn the Sutras into the book of revelations, or you'll be as misguided as any fundamentalist.
When science has an answer that pertains to our lives, listen. Being grounded with material knowledge does not remove the spiritual element, rather it helps put into perspective. So go ahead be a rationalist, materialist agnostic Buddhist.
Bodhisagan
